1. Field
The present application relates, generally, to network bandwidth sharing and, more particular, to identifying users thereof.
2. Description of the Related Art
Sharing bandwidth, such as via Wi-Fi, is a practical solution that has benefits such as described in commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 7,924,780. Users who access communication networks, such as the Internet, via Wi-Fi often share a public Internet protocol (“IP”) address. For example, a respective Internet Service Provider (“ISP”) provides Internet access via one or a limited number of IP addresses. The Internet bandwidth is made available via a Wi-Fi access point. User A operates an IPOD TOUCH, and locates and accesses the Wi-Fi service to access a web page on the Internet. User B operates a laptop computer and locates the same Wi-Fi service to access a different web page on the Internet. The devices operated by User A and User B share the single public IP address provided by the ISP. In this example, it is impossible to determine which user (User A or User B) accessed which Internet web page because both users shared the same public IP address.
In the above example, two users operate different computing devices and access two different web pages at the same time. Unfortunately, the ISP can only detect the one IP address that is shared by and accessed both users. Therefore, the respective users cannot be identified.